Hey youtubers it's Charlie and Superman Brandon Routh has just been cast as Ray Palmer's version
of the Atom, so this video is going to be a breakdown of that character as well as my
thoughts on how he's going to work inside Team Arrow.
We also just learned that Peter Stormare would be playing the Werner Zytle version of Count
Vertigo.
He's not a spin on the previous Count Vertigo we saw Seth Gabel play in seasons 1 and 2.
Hello new people, if you're finding me for the first time I'm doing bonus Arrow videos
while we wait for season 3.
Be sure to subscribe to get everything, there's going to be a lot of stuff happening around
comic con too.
Let's just start with the thought that Superman is coming to Arrow.
I know it's weird to think about Brandon Routh playing two different characters but think
about it this way.
Chris Evans was Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four before becoming Captain America and that
went really well.
It's like if a brand really likes you as an actor, they'll keep reaching out to you with
opportunities.
It just means that someday after Arrow Season One Million and the Arrow Movie, Warner Brothers
will still find new shows for Stephen Amell after he's done playing Oliver Queen.
So let's talk about the Ray Palmer character first, just like with the Barry Allen version
of the Flash they did, this version of The Atom is going to be a mixture of different
versions.
They're really good about laying in easter eggs from all across a characters history.
There have been 7 different versions of the Atom character total.
And right now in the new 52 universe.
The mantle of the Atom is being worn by a woman named Rhonda Pineda.
The Ray Palmer version is still present in the new 52 comics, but before the new 52 reboot
in Green Lantern Brightest Day he crossed paths with Deathstroke who had killed the
Ryan Choi version of the Atom.
My favorite Ray Palmer story was actually during Identity Crisis.
That comic is looked down on a little for doing some awful things to Sue Dinby, but
Palmer's estranged wife Jean Loring ends up using his Atom suit to shrink herself and
accidentally kills Sue Dinby.
She has this epic mental breakdown and gets committed to Arkham Asylum and Palmer feels
so guilty about the whole thing that he shrinks himself so tiny no one can find him for years.
When he went away is when the Ryan Choi character took up the mantle using another one of Palmer's
suits.
It's a super dark story, so I'm guessing when they say Routh's character has a 'dark past'
it's going to have something to do with the Sue Dinby character or it will be a twist
on that.
Here's the origin story of the Ray Palmer character
He was a physics professor at Ivy University in New England and found a white dwarf star
meteorite that landed on earth.
He used that to make a lens that allowed him to shrink himself down.
During Zero Hour back in the 90s they rebooted the character and he was turned into a teenage
version of himself and found he was able to shrink and grow himself without needing to
use the special lens he crafted from the meterorite.
After that they changed the character again so that he needed to use his tech to shrink
and grow.
But he started working with the Justice League and teaching at Ivy Universty again.
One of his students was Ronnie Raymond who went on to become part of Firestorm.
Remember in the comics, Felicity Smoak was his stepmother.
I know on Arrow Ray Palmer is going to be the new Felicity 'ship.
But it's funny how their comic book characters were connected too.
Because of the events of Identity Crisis and Palmer's wife murdering Sue Dinby, it created
a lot of tension between Palmer and a lot of the other Justice League members.
Mostly Hawkman.
He's not going to be featured on Arrow, but I'm wondering if Brandon Routh's character
will have any bad blood with Oliver.
Oliver shares a lot of personality traits with Hawkman, very dark, very brooding.
If you're asking which Atom Comics are the best to
read
Some really good Atom stories are Sword of the Atom, it was a series written in the 80s,
Secret Origins #29 is a good prequel story for the character, the first 8 issues of Power
of the Atom and of course Identity Crisis.
The Atom was featured in a lot of classic Suicide Squad comics too, which makes me wonder
if instead of having an old beef with Oliver, Brandon Routh will have an old beef with Amanda
Waller.
That seems a little more likely as everyone seems to have a beef with her.
If you don't like reading really old comics, some really good Atom stories from the last
couple of years are Blackest Night and Brightest Day.
That's where the big Deathstroke crossover happens.
What about the female version of the character right now?
Right now in the new 52 comics, Rhonda Pineda Atomica character is a Justice League member
working for Amanda Waller, even more Suicide Squad crossover see.
Waller has her spying on new Justice League recruits but she turns out to be a triple
agent.
She was secretly a member of the Crime Syndicate on Earth 3.
She got her powers in a freak lightning storm at Star Labs and fell into an experiment the
Ray Palmer of that Earth was conducting.
I like the way Star Labs and Amanda Waller are a common thread in the Arrow tv universe
and in the comics.
What does this all mean for the Arrow version of the character?
It sounds like what they're doing with Brandon Routh's character is combining the more modern
aspects of his Ray Palmer alter ego and the classic look of his costume.
We won't actually see the costume till either Comic Con or in an actual episode.
I hope they reveal it on the panel.
That would be awesome.
As for changing his backstory, he's supposed to be a tech genius but as of right now we
have no idea how he gets mixed up with Team Arrow.
I'm guessing it will have something to do with Amanda Waller and the new villain Count
Vertigo, played by Peter Stormare.
There's also the Felicity 'ship tease.
If you're a big shipper I'm sure you're asking how will Atomicty will affect Olicity?
There might be a few small explosions on tumblr, but I'm hoping they tie Felicity's character
to Ray Palmer with some past event.
But it's entirely possible Felicity could be meeting him for the first time in season
3.
It sounds like he's going to be about the same age as Oliver.
Brandon Routh is older than Stephen Amell, but they can play similar ages.
And based on the casting notes it sounds like Routh's character is going to be doing Salmon
Ladder's around Oliver anyway, so Team Arrow might even end up helping him defeat some
villain, not the other way around.
Brandon Routh's Ray Palmer is supposed to be super huge.
For now I'm going to think of him as like a big brother Oliver never had and I think
the Atomicty thing will just be teased for most of the season.
We are in our third year though and Felicity hasn't had a lot of make out scenes.
So I feel like she's due.
What about the Villain this season?
As for Count Vertigo, I can't wait to see Peter Stormare go nuts.
He's playing the comic book version of the character.
I think Seth Gabel's version was just an original spin the show did.
He's still going to be a drug dealer pushing Vertigo.
Because they cast Stormare, it's possible he could be the biggest villain on the show
this season.
Malcolm Merlyn is a cast regular, but he's more of a neutral figure at this point.
He could play both sides.
If you want to read more about Count Vertigo in the comics, just start with the New 52
version of the character.
In the new 52 universe Team Arrow traveled to Count Vertigo's homeland to rescue the
Shado character, so I'm wondering if they do a road trip episode where Team Arrow has
to rescue Felicity or someone else.
It's not quite the fun road trip I'd hoped for but it still sounds like it will be an
awesome season.
What about Comic Con?
I fully expect Brandon Routh and hopefully Peter Stormare to sit in on the Arrow Comic
Con panel.
Stephen Amell has been saying he's doing way more than just the Arrow panel that weekend,
so I'll be doing tons of videos for all that stuff.
Be sure to subscribe to get everything.
Since I'm posting this now I'll try to follow up with my TOP 5 Atom Stories later this week
as my next bonus video.
Right now click here to learn more about the Katana Character coming to Arrow and click
here for my top 10 favorite season 2 characters
Thanks for watching, see you guys tonight.
High Fives!